A 60-year old jetty that runs from the Longboat Pass Bridge to the southern tip of Anna Maria Island needs to be fortified, according to a Manatee County parks officials. The project would take about six months to complete at an eye-popping cost of nearly $5 million. Charlie Hunsicker, the director of Manatee County parks and natural resources, said in an application for state funding that the jetty is failing to prevent sand from getting into the navigational pass. As part of the request for funding, the county would still have to pay out more than $1.2M. Another factor that’s playing into Manatee County’s lack of urgency to act on the project- the fact that Longboat Key may soon be an all-Sarasota County isle.
